Kindly 8lock #araneasgrimoire to cur8 your space if you don't wish to see content including 8ut not limited to: #cw-occult, #cw-persecution-for-witchcraft, #esoteric-themes, #8ody-horror, #horror, #cosmic-horror, #gore, #cw-witchcraft, #cw-cartomancy, #cw-necromancy, #spiritualism, #unorthodox-religions, #cw-death, #violence, #cw-torture, #cw-genocide, #war-themes, #cw-animal-cruelty, and others. Not every post shall contain all of these tags at once, 8ut there may 8e a significant quantity of overlap 8etween them. I do not wish to expose anyone without an inclination for #esotericism to my lengthy presentations of the su8ject matter. I don't claim to 8e an expert on its profound complexity, I'm 8ut a hum8le scholar in pursuit of higher teachings. With that 8eing said, there is much to discuss when it comes to the endless sources of information a8out what's 8een catalogued as "for8idden knowledge" in 8oth trollian and human culture. And as an ancient, highly experienced savant, I wield an unprecedented a8ility to retain information that may 8e overlooked 8y others. Why do I make this distinction? To further emphasize why I feel confident to 8ring this conversation forward. Firstly, I would like to call attention to a common misunderstanding slash stigma a8out the "dark arts". Darkness, encompassing 8oth everything and nothing, 8lurs the lines 8etween truth and falsehood, possi8ility and impossi8ility. It is not inherently evil nor is it 8enign. It goes farther, 8eyond moral comprehension, and yet, it's recognized in ancient monotheistic teachings as the cradle of life and light. Monotheistic refers to the 8elief that there is only one true God in the respective religion. And darkness, regardless of said God's presence, perpetually reshapes reality. This paradox invokes the following question: Why do trolls and humans alike across multiple universes fear the dark? In fact, I theorize that this fear stem from an instinctual, ancient and mental awareness of its profound duality. Furthermore, darkness not only em8odies primal fears 8ut, in diverse studies, has ALSO revealed itself as a 8oundary 8etween reality and the a8yss—essentially liminal. One cannot 8egin to comprehend an influential power of such magnitude, rising to heights that can only 8e achieved 8y the concept itself. It facilit8s dramatic, swift transformations when approached correctly, although "correctly" is a loose definition when the fact that there is hardly proof of what can 8e safely 8randed as the right practice. And you must understand that, experience aside, the stakes are high for anyone who dares sip from the chalice; the untrained can severely harm themselves and their surroundings at a moment's notice. It can 8e fatal, and wh8ver they discover through the ultim8 punishment of malpractice will 8e lost to the elements surrounding them at the time of their death. There are skilled practitioners that claim the most secret revelations in alchemy 8ooks end up 8eing the final key to unlocking the answers to your questions, and that this very key was inside of you the whole time. This, of course, presents a new enigma for the 8eginners. If true knowledge isn’t found in 8ooks and can only 8e learned through self-exploration, is there even a purpose for such intense, time consuming study? In my opinion, the answer is yes, for 8eing a virtuous person whose intentions are pragmatic doesn't exempt you from 8eing capa8le of harming others in your environment. Simply put, if you wish to em8ark on this journey, tread carefully. Lest the darkness swallows you whole 8efore your very gander8ul8s.